After reading the information in the book about RFID tags, I started getting curious as to what else RFID tags are in. I found out that RFID tags were put into passports in 2006. I asked my family and friends if they had any idea about this and every single person I asked said no! The article I found on CNET.com stated that new passports (as of 2006) will be equipped with RFID chips that can transmit personal information including the name, nationality, sex, date of birth, place of birth and digitized photograph of the passport holder. Also, they employ a "multilayered" approach to protect privacy and reduce the possibility that passerby can skim data from the books. State Department officials also claim that a layer of metallic antiskimming material in the front cover and spine of the book can prevent information from being read from a distance, provided that the book is fully closed.
I found this incredibly interesting because everyone I asked had no idea about the placement of RFID chips. It is very scary to think that all that personal information is available to people with the capability to scan the chip. It is debatable whether the placement of chips was necessary because all that information is written on the inside of the passport. And owners of passports used to be able to only allow people they want to see their information to see it. Now our information is available to almost anyone with enough incentive to get it.
http://news.cnet.com/RFID-passports-arrive-for-Americans/2100-1028_3-6105534.html?tag=mncol
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